CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[insinning]

I think so. [ Is it a coincidence or purposeful] It didn't start hurting until after she spoke to me.

[dissimulative]

[ Oria frowns and leads Sinclair to the bed. Rest here, blondie. He does this while looking things up as he finally turns his Selcom on. ]

I've never heard of 8MS giving headaches by words alone... I can't find anything in search engines either.

[ But of course, it could be censored by government propaganda. Either way, he's not having any luck. ]

... I'll talk to her about it.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair opens his mouth to demur. For Oria to be careful. But this is Oria's mother and he remembers hearing how devoted she was to her children. So he settles back into bed, reaching out for Oria's hand. Stay?]

Is that why you didn't want to go back?

[dissimulative]

[ Oh.

Oria wasn't planning on leaving so soon, but when Sinclair reaches out for his hand, it feels second nature to just hold onto it no matter what. So he does and sits on the edge of the bed. ]

Because she worked with 8MS stuff? No. It always felt unbearably overwhelming at home and I wasn't about that sort of life.

[insinning]

[ Better. Sinclair looks up at Oria, even though his head his pounding]

Yeah...? Was it just... suffocating?

[ gently prompting, if Oria wants to talk about it]

[dissimulative]

Not just suffocating--very suffocating. It didn't even feel like my life was mine to begin with. I'm sure I would have ended up very differently if I stayed home.

[ Though with how Aria seemed to be, that only seemed limited to Oria and not to her other children. ]

[insinning]

I see.

[Sinclair thinks he can understand that. His brow furrows further and he squeezes Oria's hand. The little note keeps haunting him. But...what did the '89' stand for?]

...I'm glad though. That you could get out of there and be your own person.

[dissimulative]

Yeah! Though I'm sure people wouldn't like that with how obnoxious I am sometimes.

[ He laughs. Oria can admit it, but it doesn't have him feeling down. ]

You look like you wanna say something more.

[insinning]

[Sinclair looks confused about that. Obnoxious? Oria?

(Sinclair might have a blindspot here)

He thinks a little]

I don't know. I was just thinking about what I saw in those files and your mother's words...but I don't want to say anything I'm not sure about yet.

[dissimulative]

Alright.

[ Oria will give him space regarding that even though he wants to know. ]

Do you have any painkillers in your room? I can bring them over if you do..

[insinning]

No. I don't have any.

[Sinclair shakes his head. He doesn't want Oria to go either but... it really hurts, a dull throb that wont leave him]

[dissimulative]

Close your eyes and count to 100. I'll be back before you're done.

[ He lightly squeezes his hand. Oria knows Sinclair doesn't want him to leave, but Oria would also like Sinclair to not suffer when it could be preventable. ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair nearly whines for Oria not to go but he closes his eyes obediently]

Okay...

[One, two...]

[dissimulative]

[ His dorm room isn't too far, but Oria rushes out after ruffling Sinclair's hair. It'll be fine!

He nearly trips on his way out.

Anyway, he actually does return before Sinclair reaches 100 with a bottle of water and painkillers. These are painkillers that contend with numbing the pain of extreme period cramps. Oria think Sinclair will be fine with this. ]

I'm back~

[insinning]

Oh. Already?

[ Sinclair gets up, wincing as his head gives a harsh throb. He feels dizzy now]

Thank you...

[dissimulative]

Told you I'd be quick.

[ He feels satisfied as he gives them both to Sinclair and tries to support his back. At the back of his mind, he wonders if it isn't a physiological pain, but something that alters his mental state... or at least, trying to. ]

It's a fast acting one too.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair takes the medicine and washes it down with water, grimacing. He hates pills but it was necessary. He leans back against Oria, his eyes closing]

That's good...headache was getting worse.

[dissimulative]

[ Oria does his best to make Sinclair comfortable. He's also texting his mother in the midst of all things. Selcom and P3 is so convenient. ]

I hope it stops hurting soon. If it persists, you should probably ask someone in Limbus.

[insinning]

[Oria, please. Well, it's not like he's not doing the same by sending frantic messages to Limbus about the whole issue but ...]

I will. [ He will be good about that. And now that he's had time to think. Lets address this as if he's talking about himself] ... hey, Oria. How would you feel if someone told you that there was another personality implanted in you without you knowing?

[dissimulative]

—Is that what happened to you?

[ Of course Oria doesn't answer, but not for the sake of vulnerability cover, but his concern for Sinclair always comes first. ]

[insinning]

No...at least, I hope not. [Sinclair touches his chest with a small frown. It...could have happened, honestly and he had no idea of worrying. He's already resigned himself to knowing that his body is no longer his own.] But, what if...

[dissimulative]

[ Oria thinks Sinclair is facing a split personality problem pretty soon, but... he'll divulge. Because it's Sinclair. ]

One, terrible. Two, CPPs are aware of each personality so I would try to negotiate with them.

[insinning]

[But what if...Sinclair pauses for a second and rolls over a little to look up at Oria properly]

You would?

[dissimulative]

Yeah? Like what do they want, how much time do they want out there...

[ Oria is really quiet for a while before he speaks up again. ]

... I won't lie, I really hate the idea of someone other than me using my body, but it's not like I can just extract them either. I'd have to learn how to live with it.

[insinning]

...yeah. Humans aren't programs. [He puts his hands back on Oria's, closing his eyes as he tries to get some rest. He'll show Oria the note later. But he thinks...whatever they did, he would learn to fight through it and live with it]

We're just people that ended up like this.